Global Temperatures and Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Reached “Record Levels” in 2023
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, the EU’s Earth Observation Programme, recently released its seventh annual European State of the Climate report. It highlighted key climate-related events in Europe, as well as updates on the Arctic and global temperatures in 2023.
Europe is estimated to have suffered €13.4 billion (about $14.9 billion) in 2023 due to climate-related events, such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods, drought, and storms.
Globally, around 220,000 glaciers cover an area of approximately 700,000 square kilometers (about 172.9 million acres), but since 1976 about 8,200 cubic kilometers (about 1,967 cubic miles) of glacier ice has been lost.
In 2023, sea ice coverage in the Arctic reached its lowest in September, at 18% below average and sixth lowest based on a reference period of 1991 to 2020.
Globally, 2023 was the “warmest year on record” with the largest monthly temperature anomaly (deviation from normal) on record in September at 0.93°C (about 1.67°F) above average based on a reference period of 1991 to 2020.
Since 1993, annual average sea level rise has been 3.4 mm (0.13 in) globally and 2 to 4 mm (0.07 to 0.15 in) in Europe.
In 2023, the annual average concentration of carbon dioxide was 419 parts per million and for methane was 1,902 parts per billion, reaching record levels.
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